Reformed door mat?

WELCOME TO A REFORMED CHURCH
A guide for pilgrims
By Daniel R. Hyde
Reformation Trust. 178 pages. £7.69
ISBN 978 1 567 692 037

What I expected was a sort of profile or character study of a local church which held to and operated along Reformed, biblical convictions. This book covers that ground, but much more besides.

Having come to Reformed theology from a four-square church background, Daniel Hyde sets out to define the distinctives of a Reformed church and what it looks like. Hyde defines Reformed churches as Christian, Protestant and Reformed: Christian because they are rooted in the ancient ecumenical creeds — Apostolic, Nicene, Athanasian and Chalcedon; Protestant because they continue to hold to the Reformation solas; Reformed because they are ‘Churches that are Reformed according to the Word of God’ and expressing their theological convictions in the form of various Confessions and Catechisms. In many ways, this is where this book comes into its own.

‘To be a Reformed church, then, is to be a biblical church — but also a confessional church. This means that what Reformed churches believe to be the foundational truths of God’s Holy Word are stated in public documents called creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian, as well as the Definition of Chalcedon), catechisms (Heidelberg, Westminster Larger and Shorter), confessions (Belgic and Westminster), and canons (Canons of Dort).’ Arguing against those who question the validity of non-canonical statements of faith, Hyde persuasively argues that such expressions of truth and belief are both biblical and beneficial.

In the last three chapters, Hyde turns to what I was expecting from the book. He looks at the Reformed church itself, identifying its distinguishing marks, what its worship should look like and its means of grace — preaching and the two sacraments.

The book closes by addressing some frequently asked questions about Reformed theology and its views on, among other things, evangelism, creation and the Holy Spirit, and then provides a very helpful bibliography.

I can do no better than agree with one of the book’s commendations which describes it as: ‘One of the most useful studies of the basics of Reformed belief, worship, and practice that I have come across’. It’s not a light read, and will stretch the ‘average’ pilgrim it seeks to guide; but it will undoubtedly repay careful and thoughtful study.